It'll Get Better, Thanks to You
by ABeautifulDisaster92
Summary: When her father has a heart attack Beth returns home to her family farm ready to help him with whatever he needs. The last thing she expected was the handsome new farm hand Hershel hired. Not only does Rick Grimes help Beth with the farm but also with the personal demons she's tried to deal with on her own.
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm gonna be writing more one shots because I loved writing them so much. I have a lot of ideas so I'm gonna try to upload one a week.**

It was one of the worst phone calls Beth Greene had ever received. The first was when she was a junior in high school and her sister called bawling her eyes out. After yelling at Maggie to spit it out she heard the words, 'Mom's dead! She had a stroke!' Everything around her seemed to freeze. She had just seem her mom that morning how could she have died within a few hours? Now it seemed like she was in the same situation as she drove back to her hometown from college.

All she knew was that her father had a heart attack. The nurses couldn't give her anymore information other than that he was in the ICU. During the drive she made so many phone calls trying to get in touch with her siblings. Her brother was in a meeting and his assistant told her he would call her back as soon as he could. Getting in touch with Maggie proved to be more difficult. She had been deployed for two months now to Afghanistan and didn't get to call much. Beth had gotten through to her superiors, she was told Maggie was on patrol but it would be a while until she got back.

Running into the hospital she stopped the first nurse she saw. "Excuse me can you tell me where I can find Hershel Greene?" She panted.

"Let me find out," The nurse smiled before leaving Beth standing in the waiting area.

Taking a seat Beth tried her best to keep any negative thoughts away. She may have lost her mom but she couldn't lose her dad too. Things had gotten bad since she passed. Hershel started drinking again, to the point he only left the house on rare occasions. During Beth's senior year it was up to her, Otis, and Patricia to keep the farm up and running but halfway through the year Hershel ran the couple off. He never gave a real reason as to why he sent them away but he refused to let them back on the property. They still kept in touch with Beth but they refused to come back to the farm because of Hershel's behavior leaving all the farm work to her.

When Beth was accepted to Kennesaw University she was terrified to move away. She knew how bad things were with her father, she couldn't just leave him. "Beth you can't live your life being afraid what's going on with Daddy." Maggie had told her the last time she was home on leave.

"I would be two hours away, what if something happens to him?" Beth asked. "I wasn't here for mom, I need to be here for dad."

Maggie frowned. "You have way too much weight on your shoulders for an eighteen year old. You deserve to go away and live your life. If Daddy doesn't stand on his own now he never will but you have to know if he fails it will _not _be your fault."

It took a lot of encouragement from her brother and sister but Beth finally agreed to move away for her freshman year. To everyone's surprise things with Hershel started to pick up. He drank less and the farm was still in good shape. Beth visited as much as she could and every time she came home she couldn't help but feel proud of her father. She thought she was finally getting her dad back.

One of the nurses told her Hershel had to have emergency open heart surgery. The thought shook Beth to her core. When she asked them for more information they said they would have to wait for the doctor.

"Sweetie, your daddy is awake." She heard the nurse say. "Would you like to see him?"

"Yes please," Beth muttered following her back through the ICU.

Each room held a patient. Beth wanted to cry because of how sick some of them looked. They were hooked up to all sorts of machines. In one room she saw a woman close to tears as she held an elderly man's hand. As she approached her father's room Beth was scared of what she would find.

Rounding the corner she sighed in relief seeing Hershel sitting up in bed wide awake. When he saw his youngest daughter he smiled. "Hey doodlebug."

"Hi Daddy," Beth breathed, blinking away tears. "What happened?"

"I-I don't really remember. I heard Rick calling my name and the next thing I know I'm looking up at the paramedics in the ambulance."

Hearing an unfamiliar name Beth scrunched her eyebrows. "Rick? Who's Rick?"

"He's a man I hired to help out at the farm. He works through the week and then goes to see his son on the weekends."

Now it was starting to make sense. Hershel wasn't changing, he had just gotten better at hiding it. Frowning Beth placed her hand on top of Hershel's. "Daddy, I'm gonna take a break from school for a while and help you at the farm."

"Bethy, you don't have to do that. I know how much your schooling means to you."

"You mean more to me." She sighed. "I'm gonna go talk to the nurses and see how you're doing and then I'm gonna go to the farm."

"You really don't have to do any of this."

"Yes I do." Beth urged.

After talking to her roommates and telling them she won't be coming back she headed towards her childhood home. It looked the exact same since her last visit. The grass was cut to perfection, the horses ran in the stables, but it looked like the barn had just been freshly painted. Parking her car besides her dad's pickup truck she walked up to the house. She didn't even need her key as she opened the front door. Nothing had changed inside but Beth knew something was off. Going into the kitchen the first thing she checked was the pantry. At first she saw nothing unusual but then she started digging around. Behind bags of potatoes and onions she found the first two bottles of vodka.

She ended up finding six more bottles around the house before she went into her father's room. Ever since she was a kid she knew she wasn't allowed in her parent's room. Hershel said there were too many antique breakables that she didn't need to mess with. The door was always closed and Beth had always followed the rule. Opening the door for the first time the odor of alcohol nearly knocked her off her feet. Bottles littered the floor along with newspapers and dirty clothes. The bed was unmade, she wasn't even sure if the sheets had been washed recently.

Walking down the steps, carrying one of the bottles, she made it halfway down before the tears started falling. Sitting down Beth buried her face in her hands and let herself cry. She didn't even realize she started sobbing until she heard the screen door open. Wiping her eyes she looked up to see a man she had never seen before standing in her doorway. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean..." He mumbled reaching for the door handle.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice harsher than she intended.

"Rick Grimes, I work here," He explained. "Are you one of Hershel's kids?"

"Yeah, I'm Beth." She sighed rising from her seat to walk down the rest of the stairs. "You were the one that found him. Thank you for helping him."

Rick shook his head. "After everything he's done for me? I wish I could have done more. Is he doing ok?"

"He had to have surgery but the nurses said he's doing pretty good considering." She explained. "I'm gonna take some time off school to be here and help out."

"I think that's a good idea. Well if you need anything else just let me know."

"Hang on a sec," She blurted, passing him she went straight into the kitchen. "Did you know about this?" She asked holding up one of the vodka bottles.

Rick shook his head. "No, I rarely come in the house. I work outside and talk to Hershel on the porch."

"Ok," She frowned. "Thank you."

Walking back into the kitchen Beth began to pour the drink down the drain. This was going to be the first step in her father's recovery. As she watched it disappear she heard footsteps come up behind her. Turning around she watched Rick grab a trash bag out of the pantry. When the bottle was completely empty he took it from her and handed her another one. Once all the bottles were empty she silently thanked him before walking back upstairs, taking the trash bag with her. As she was tossing the newspapers away she saw him standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. "I had no idea."

"No one did, including me," She whispered blinking back tears. "I came here almost every weekend and I had no idea."

Rick noticed how she was barely holding it together. "They're always good at hiding it."

"What?"

"My father," He sighed. "He was the same way. Drinking when we were all in bed and throwing the bottles away before any of us could see him. Mama knew but she didn't let on that she did. By the time we found out...it was too late."

Even though it was the last thing she wanted to hear it help knowing someone else had gone through what she was. She had just met him but she was already connecting with Rick. "So how long have you been working here?" She asked hoping to change the subject.

"For over a year now, I used to be a cop in Atlanta but I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was never a city boy, I just moved there because of the woman I was seeing at the time."

Somehow hearing Rick was with someone sent a pang of jealousy through Beth. She couldn't help it. Sure she had just met him but she couldn't deny the man was attractive. "When it didn't work out I moved down here."

"Daddy said you had a son?"

"Yeah, Carl, he's about five now. He's partly the reason why I stuck around so long but then the love just went away. We both decided it wasn't gonna work."

"So how did you get stuck here?" Beth chuckled. "I mean, you went from being a police officer to a farm hand."

Seeing Rick smile made Beth stop and stare. "Well, I had a friend that lived in the area and he told me about your father. I guess Hershel had put the word out he needed some help and I needed any job I could."

"You know there's a sheriff's department downtown?"

"No, I'm done with law enforcement. Been through too much and I don't want to go back."

Beth wanted to ask what he meant but decided against it. "The nurses said he may get to come home next week. I probably need to head back."

"Well I'll stay here and make sure everything is ready for him when he gets here."

"Ok...thank you."

Beth ended up sleeping at the hospital that night. Shawn finally got in touch with her but still no word from Maggie. "Dad's been through worse, he'll be fine." Shawn sighed. "You don't need to take time off of school."

Rolling her eyes Beth answered. "The nurses told me he's not gonna be allowed to drive for eight weeks. Farm work is definitely out of the question. I'll take this semester off and then go back in January."

"If you're sure then I guess I'll see you at Thanksgiving."

"I'm sure. Bye I love you."

The next morning Beth decided to go back to the farm to shower and change clothes. Pulling up the driveway she spotted Rick walking out of the barn. In the privacy of her car she was finally able to admire the man in front of her. He was slim but she could see his muscles under his tight T shirts. She was pretty sure he was wearing the same jeans and cowboy boots from the previous day. It looked like he was growing a beard and his hair out.

When he noticed her car he waved making her smile. Climbing out of the drivers seat she waved back. "Hey, how's Hershel?"

"Good, I went in to see him before I came here. He was wide awake and complaining about the hospital food."

"Sounds like him."

"Yeah I came over to shower and start cleaning up the inside of the house."

"Want some help?"

"I would appreciate it." She smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks.

After a very hot shower and a quick change of clothes Beth walked into her father's room to start her cleaning spree. The room still reeked of booze almost making her gag. Opening the windows the image of Rick working on the barn stopped her. Maggie and Shawn always complained about the barn, it had been falling apart since Beth was in middle school. To see Rick take the time to actually fix it up brought a wave of happiness to her.

Unfortunately Rick seemed to sense someone watching her. His head immediately picked up making Beth whip around to act like she wasn't staring at him. Grasping the dresser she stopped herself from falling but she could tell she was blushing. 'Great, now he thinks you're a creep.' Beth thought as she stripped the bed.

September in Georgia didn't even feel like the beginning of autumn. Beth could still wear tank tops and shorts without even getting a chill. She decided the whole house needed some airing out so as she went through and opened all the windows she called to Rick who was still working on the barn. "Hey! Have you had breakfast?"

When she saw him shake his head she told him to come to the kitchen in thirty minutes. Even though it was clear Hershel focused on alcohol he always kept a stocked kitchen. In the fridge she found eggs fresh from the chicken coop and all the ingredients to make her mom's homemade biscuits. Before her mother passed away she made sure Maggie and Beth knew how to cook. Beth knew how to make a full course meal by the time she was a teenager.

Thirty minutes later she had scrambled eggs, biscuits, and gravy sitting on the table as Rick walked in. "Wow, I didn't know people your age could do all this."

"Not many do, trust me," She grinned. "One time the girls in my dorm almost burned our kitchen down fixing Ramen noodles."

"Then I guess its a good thing I didn't go to college. The only thing I can cook is toast and sometimes I still burn that."

"Well then I guess you'll have to let me teach you some things." Beth blurted but inside she was slapping herself.

To her relief Rick smiled. "I might have to take you up on that."

Over breakfast they talked about the farm. Rick let her know they were running out of feed so he would be taking the truck into town to get more. "Hershel usually took care of it. He said he knew the man at the Tractor Supply."

"Oh David Chambler, yeah he's an old family friend. His daughter, Tara, is one of my roommates."

"Then I guess I'll be talking with him."

"And I'll try to get the smell of vodka out of this house."

After he finished eating Rick excused himself and grabbed the keys to the pickup truck. As she watched the truck drive away Beth already missed his company. During their breakfast she couldn't get over how easy going he was. His deep soothing voice made Beth want to melt in her chair. The only time Beth developed a crush on an older man was when she was in high school and they had a new math teacher. Mr. Lambert was in his early thirties, just like Rick, he wore black glasses and he would get into spirit weeks just like the students. He was fun and Beth liked that about him. Now with Rick it was a different type of attraction, this time it was ten times stronger.

As Beth was cleaning she couldn't help but notice there were empty spots everywhere in the house. All of her family photos had been taking off the walls, the mantle, and anywhere else they were placed all throughout the house. "Where are they?" She wondered out loud placing her hands on her hips.

She looked all over the living room with no luck. They weren't in the kitchen or dining room. "Beth?" She heard Rick call from the front door.

"In here!"

"Hey, the horses are fed," He told her as he stepped into the room. "You need any help in here?"

"You don't have to but I'm looking for our family photos. I've looked this entire floor but I can't find them anywhere."

"Then lets go upstairs."

Nodding she led the way upstairs to Maggie's old bedroom. Her bed and chest of drawers were the only pieces of furniture in the entire room. Opening the closet Beth noticed the blue graduation cap and gown along with Maggie's prom dress. The first time Beth saw the dress she was in awe, she thought her sister looked like a princess straight out of the movies. Hershel thought she was showing off too much skin but Annette silenced him and told Maggie she looked beautiful. "Nothing in here," Beth frowned closing the door.

"One room down," Rick said letting her lead the way to the other bedrooms.

After checking her's and Hershel's room they finally ended up at Shawn's old room. Since Shawn was the first one to move out Hershel and Annette turned his room into the craft/sewing room. In this room Annette taught Beth how to sew and wrap Christmas presents. It had the biggest closet in the entire house so Beth was hopeful they would finally find the pictures. Opening the double doors her eyes went to the floor where she saw cardboard boxes full of photos. "Here they are," She announced sitting down to pull the boxes out.

Once Rick sat down beside her she started pulling out pictures. "This is Shawn and Maggie," She told him handing him the picture frame.

"Wow...they look just alike."

"Yeah, everyone thinks its weird I'm the only blonde in the family. They said I'm probably the milk man's daughter." Beth chuckled. "Oh here's a good one, this is Mama and Daddy on their wedding day."

"Damn, I've never seen Hershel without a beard."

Laughing Beth leaned over to look at the picture again. "He's had a beard for so long its hard to picture his face without it."

"When did he start growing it out?"

Suddenly her laughing died down. "After my mom died, when things sort of fell apart."

Biting his tongue Rick decided to change the subject. "So what does your brother and sister do? Hershel never really talked about y'all much."

"Shawn is the head of some construction company and Maggie is in the Army. He lives in California and she is currently deployed."

"When is she coming home?"

"Not til next year. She's only been over there for two months."

"Do you worry about her?"

"Every day," She sighed pulling out more pictures. "She still doesn't know about Daddy. I got in touch with her supervisor but I don't think they ever gave her my message."

Nodding his head once Rick stood up, taking one of the boxes with him. "So where do you want these?"

With Rick's help they got the pictures back in their original place by lunchtime. Since Beth cooked breakfast Rick insisted on fixing a lunch within his limits. Ham and cheese sandwiches which Beth enjoyed just as much because she got to know Rick a little more over lunch. He grew up in King county, played baseball all the way through high school and was even offered a scholarship to college to play first base. "Why didn't you take it?" Beth asked.

Rick shrugged. "My dad died and I didn't want to leave my mom all alone. I got a job at the denim mill and worked there for years." Then his calm exterior turned more serious. "Then I met Lori."

"You said you met her in Atlanta?"

"No, I moved to Atlanta to be with her though. I met her in a bar in my hometown, she was visiting a relative and I thought she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen." He frowned. "It was amazing at first, we fell in love fast and then Carl was born."

Beth was eager to learn more, Rick was like some exciting book and she wanted to read the entire thing. Before she got the chance to ask him anymore questions he mumbled something about needing to fix the fences. When he left Beth decided she had enough cleaning for the day. The nurses confirmed Hershel wouldn't be coming home for another week so she had plenty of time to get the house into shape before he got home. She did however need to finish the laundry. After several washes she finally felt like her father's sheets were clean. Tossing everything into a basket she headed to the all too familiar clothes line. Even though they owned a dryer during the summer Annette always made the kids hang up their clothes on the clothes line. "My mama always did her laundry this way so I'm just used to it." She laughed when Beth asked her why can't they just use the dryer.

"Yeah but it could make our lives ten times easier." Beth whined.

"Maybe but then we wouldn't get to spend this time together." Annette smiled making Beth roll her eyes.

Folding a sheet over the clothes line Beth felt a sudden rush of sadness. Every day she missed her mom but now that she was spending more time at home it was becoming unbearable. She was starting to understand why her father behaved the way he did. All these memories of Annette were everywhere. The flowers she planted in the front yard, the paint colors she specifically picked out when they decided to paint the whole house, her mom was everywhere it was impossible to miss her.

After pinning the last sheet on the line she looked across the yard to see Rick checking each fence post. He never met her mom but he had lost a parent so he could relate to what she was going through.

Later on that night Beth returned to the farm after visiting her dad to see Rick already in the kitchen with a pizza box sitting on the table. "I decided to make dinner."

"I see that," She giggled.

"How's Hershel? Did you ask him about the pictures?"

"He's fine and I decided not to." She sighed pulling out two plates from the cupboard. "I think I understand why he did. Here he was all alone in this house and he couldn't deal with it. He's never been one to talk about his emotions, he pushes everything away."

"So he thought putting the pictures away would help ease the pain?"

"I guess, I just can't believe I never noticed. I was so focused on him I didn't even stop to really see what was going on around me."

Rick opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Beth's phone ringing on the table. "Sorry," She told him as she answered. "Hello?"

"Beth! I just got to a phone. What happened?" Maggie exclaimed.

"Its Maggie," Beth whispered standing up to walk outside to the porch. "Daddy had a heart attack, they had to do emergency surgery."

She could hear Maggie barely holding it together over the phone. "He's doing all right, the doctors said he should make a full recovery as long as he takes it easy."

"Yeah well, Daddy is stubborn so he'll be fine." Maggie joked wiping her eyes. "But what about the farm? He can't work on the farm in his condition."

"Well I'm taking the rest of the semester off but he already has someone here helping him. His name is Rick."

"Wait, Daddy actually hired someone to help? I thought after he ran Otis and Patricia off it would be a cold day in hell before he got someone else."

"I couldn't believe it either but he did and Rick is nice. He...he gets it. His dad used to be the same way as Daddy. We've been talking about it, he's easy to talk to."

"It sounds like my little sister has a crush."

Rolling her eyes Beth grumbled. "No, no I don't."

"Beth, its nothing to be ashamed of."

"We're supposed to be talking about our father, you know the one that's in the hospital?"

"Oh come on, I'm overseas and don't get the chance to tease you a lot. Let me have my fun because I don't know when I'm gonna be able to call next."

"Don't remind me," Beth frowned. "How do I get in touch with you if something happens?"

"You'll just have to do the same thing as you did last time. I know it sucks but that's the only way I know of. Daddy will be fine though."

"I know, I just worry."

"I get it but Bethy I gotta go. My time is up and I have to get some sleep before our next patrol. I love you ok?"

"I love..." Beth started but couldn't finish before the line cut off. "you too."

The next day Beth woke up in her old bed. Her bedroom hadn't changed a bit since she was in high school. The white iron bed with matching furniture, her old stuffed animals with her favorite teddy bear sitting right in the middle on a bookshelf hanging on the wall, and her guitar leaning next to her desk. Every time she came into this room she still felt like that shy freshman teaching herself how to play guitar while irritating her whole family.

Still wearing her pajamas she headed downstairs to see if Rick had arrived yet. To her surprise she found him sleeping on the couch. The previous night she decided to go to bed early, she didn't think he would stay the night. Going into the kitchen she decided to fix pancakes for breakfast along with bacon. After she made the batter she heard Rick groan from the other room making her smile. "Morning," He yawned.

"Good morning," She said watching as he poured a glass of orange juice. "If I had known you were planning on staying the night I would have told you to take Maggie's room."

"Its fine, and I didn't want to leave you here all by yourself. I might take you up on that offer tonight though. I don't think my back can handle another night on that couch."

"So what are you working on today?" She asked as she flipped two of the pancakes.

"I'm gonna finish up the fence but they're talking about a big storm coming in later this afternoon."

Summer showers had always scared Beth but she had to admit they were beautiful. Listening to the loud booms of thunder and watching the sky light up always intrigued her even though she couldn't sleep whenever there was a big storm.

Once breakfast was finished Rick headed outside but Beth couldn't get over how domestic they seemed to be. She would fix breakfast and they would talk about their upcoming day and then he would go off to work. The thought made her laugh but she felt happy even though the situation wasn't ideal.

Her job for the day was to dust the furniture and sweep the floors. Her father picked up after himself but when it came to sweeping and dusting he always left that job to Annette or one of his kids. "Daddy, I think some of this is from 1998," She mumbled dumping dust pan into the trash can.

Rick called to her after lunch to let her know he needed to run into town to get a part for the tractor. He offered to pick up something for them to eat for dinner which Beth quickly agreed to. While he was gone she called Hershel to check up on him. "I'm fine, everyone keeps asking me that," He grumbled.

"We're just worried about you, Daddy. I got a hold of Maggie. She said she loves you and she'll call as soon as she can."

"You didn't have to do that. She has bigger things to worry about."

"Daddy, it doesn't matter _what _she has going on her family will always be a priority."

He couldn't argue with that. After hanging up with her dad Beth noticed how dark the sky suddenly gotten. The storm was coming faster than she had expected and the horses were still running in the pasture. She knew they would be fine in the rain but Beth never liked the idea of her animals running around during bad weather. Her horse, Freckles, was easy to get into the barn. She had gotten him when he was just a colt and they grew up together. The others decided to give her a hard time. As she was walking Maggie's horse across the pasture the rain began to fall, slow at first but then the bottom fell out. She was completely drenched by the time she got Shawn's horse in its stall.

Freezing and tired Beth finally headed back towards the house. Headlights blinded her as she walked up the driveway. "Beth? What are you doing out here?" Rick yelled over the rain.

Instead of answering she just pointed to the barn and kept walking. She was shivering so bad she wouldn't have been able to form a clear response if she tried. Kicking off her boots she left them on the porch and stepped in the house with Rick right behind her. "Wait here," He told her as he ran up the stairs to grab two towels.

When he came back he had one wrapped around his neck and the other in his hand. Wrapping it around her shoulders he ran his hands up and down her arms to try and warm her up. "Better?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I need to change real quick." She sighed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, you go change before you get sick. I'll start closing the windows down here."

He didn't need to tell her twice. Beth hurried to her room to find some of the baggiest clothes she owned. A flannel and black sweatpants, not the most fashionable choice but at the moment she didn't care. She hoped Tara would shipped her clothes, she might be developing a crush on Rick but that didn't mean she wanted to walk around naked in front of him. After changing Beth went into each room to close the windows and then went back downstairs to find Rick standing in the living room looking out the window. He must have sensed her close by because he turned his head towards her. "Its getting bad out there."

Nodding she sighed. "Its nothing new, we can usually count on one bad storm this time of year right before fall."

"I was gonna get dinner but I hurried back so you wouldn't be here by yourself when it hit."

Beth had to admit she was touched. "That's fine, I'm sure we have something in the kitchen I can fix."

Just as Beth started to go into the kitchen the lights blinked and went out leaving them both in the dark. "Or not," She muttered pulling out her phone to use the flashlight. "We have some candles in that chest." She instructed pointing to the antique on the far wall.

In silence they walked through the house lighting candles along the way. It wasn't much but at least they would be able to walk around without running into anything. When they were done they found themselves sitting on the floor of the living room, listening to the sounds of the storm outside. Neither of them spoke but Beth couldn't stop herself from glancing at the man beside her. He was facing the window letting her get a good look at his profile. His curly hair was finally starting to dry but it was unusual for her to see it unruly, she wanted to reach out and run her fingers through it. Hearing him clear his throat brought her back to reality. "So what now?" He chuckled.

"We wait," She smiled. "This used to happen all the time when I was little. Me, Maggie, and Shawn used to struggle to play Uno by candlelight."

"Its a summer storm it shouldn't last too long," Rick mumbled leaning his head back on the couch cushions.

"In the meantime...you said Daddy helped you with this job, what did you mean by that?"

Beth saw the way his face changed after she asked the question, to the point she wanted to take it back. "I was in a dark place when I moved here." Rick sighed. "I left the department because my partner died. He had become my best friend over the few years I was there and he died in my arms."

"Oh my God," Beth whispered.

"We were on a routine call, drug bust, that was it. It was nothing we hadn't been on before. They said it was three people in the house. We went in, I went one way, Shane went the other. We got the men on the ground but there was a fourth. Before either of us could react he fired off three rounds and hit Shane in the head. Then he turned the gun on himself." Hearing Rick's voice crack at the end of his sentence brought tears to Beth's eyes.

Reaching over she placed her hand on top of his. Brushing her thumb over his skin she felt his hand turn over to interlace their fingers. "Then I found out Lori had an affair with Shane and that Carl may not even be mine."

Beth was stunned. She didn't even know how to respond, she had no idea he had been dealing with all this. "I just couldn't understand it. I hated him but then I missed him at the same time. He was my best friend but how could he do that to me?"

"I'm so sorry, Rick."

He clutched her hand tighter. "I just couldn't handle being in that city anymore so I left the department and I had a friend that lived close by. I needed a job and your dad helped me out. Maybe it wasn't ideal but I just liked the atmosphere here. It was just me and Hershel, I didn't have to worry about anyone talking about me behind my back."

"Daddy was never a gossiper." She sighed. "Does he know all this?"

Rick nodded. "Before he actually hired me Hershel sat me down on the porch and grilled me. He wanted to know my full history, it was the only way he would give me the job."

"That sounds like him."

"I didn't mind. It was kind of nice to let it all out. I had so much pent up frustration I needed to talk it out before I went insane."

"Well I'm glad you're here. I don't think I could handled all this without you."

"You're stronger than you think, Beth Greene." Rick smiled. "You're dealing with all this by yourself and you're what? Nineteen years old?"

"Yeah, about to turn twenty."

"You're wise beyond your years. I've noticed that just by being around you for a few days."

"I've always been that way. My friends called me 'Mom' because I never acted my age, I was always taking care of them."

"So its in your nature to the caregiver?"

"I guess so." She muttered.

They sat in a comfortable silence, their hands still intertwined with each other's for so long Beth forgot about the rain. Before they knew it the power was back on and the storm was over. "So if you plan on staying the night why not take a bed upstairs?" She questioned remembering finding him asleep on the couch.

"I'd appreciate that."

Together they blew out all the candles and headed upstairs together. Stopping at her bedroom door she turned to Rick. "It was nice learning more about you."

"It was nice talking to you. The last person I told all that to was Hershel and no offense to your father but you're much easier to talk to."

"I won't tell him you said that," She giggled.

Rocking back and forth on her heels she thought about what to do. She wanted to pull him into her bedroom but she didn't want to scare him off and ruin the night they just shared. Instead she settled on a hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck she felt him tense up before his arms came up around her. Leaning her head on his chest she realized she had never felt safer than when she was in Rick's arms. As she pulled away she pressed her lips to his cheek as a good night kiss. "Night." She muttered as she pulled away.

"Good night." Rick told her as she closed her bedroom door.

On the other side Beth couldn't contain her smile anymore. That night she went to sleep with a smile on her face and dreamt of the man sleeping just down the hall. Now she was sure she made the right decision staying at the farm because for the first time she felt herself falling in love with a man she hoped would love her back but first she had to make sure her father was ok. Hershel had to be her first priority but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun thinking about the farm hand that had in just a few short days captured her heart.

**I've decided this will become a two shot because I want to start fresh when it comes to Hershel coming home and dealing with everything that comes with it. Review please :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next week the doctors told Beth that her father can finally go home. Every single day Hershel had complained about anything he could. "That food tastes like shit, the nurses keep waking me up, those damn machines are irritating me." After a while Beth just learned to tune him out and nod her head at appropriate times.

He had no idea she had found his alcohol stash and cleaned the entire house. Hershel never really asked about how things were going at the farm. Every time Beth visited him he had other things on his mind.

The day Hershel was finally released Beth had to argue with him about sitting in a wheelchair to take him out of the hospital. "The doctors said you're gonna get tired easily for a while." She explained as the nurses helped him into the chair. "They're bringing a bed we can put in the living room so you don't have to go upstairs."

"I can climb some stairs, Bethy." Hershel grumbled.

"No you can't Mr. Greene. You're not allowed to climb stairs, do any heavy lifting, or drive heavy machinery." A nurse scolded. "You have to take it really easy for at least two weeks. A lot of patients think they feel better after one week and try to go back to their normal routine. That's what gets them into trouble."

"All right, fine, if y'all will stop bugging me about it."

The nurse raised her eyebrows in Beth's direction which made the young girl roll her eyes. She had no idea how these nurses put up with her father for the past week. It took a special soul to be able to tolerate Hershel Greene for long periods of time. "Home health will be coming by to check on his progress. Who else will be at the home?" A nurse asked as they filled in the paperwork.

"Me and our farm hand Rick Grimes." Beth told the woman.

"Ok well then I guess that about does it. We'll see you for your check ups Mr. Greene."

Hershel just waved his hand as Beth pushed the wheelchair along. Rick had accompanied her to the hospital. When they arrived he told her to text him when they were coming down so he could pull the car around. Once they got in the elevator she pulled out her phone. "Who are you calling?" Hershel asked.

"I'm texting Rick, he's down in the car."

"How have you two got along this past week?"

"Good." Beth blurted. The last thing her father needed to hear about was her time with the farm hand.

Beth had already admitted it to herself she had a crush on the man. Not only was he attractive but he was so easy to talk to, without him she didn't know how she would have gotten through this. During their meals she would find herself talking to him about things she had never discussed with anyone else. She was never at a loss for words with him.

As they reached the lobby she spotted her Honda parked outside the sliding glass door with Rick standing right by it. "Hershel, good to see you upright again." Rick smiled opening the backseat door for him.

"Why am I sitting in the back?" Hershel snapped ignoring Rick's kindness.

"Its just a safety precaution." Beth told him.

"I'm not a two year old that needs a booster seat. Let me in the damn front."

"At least you're in good spirits." Rick chuckled opening the other door.

The ride back to the farm was quiet except for Hershel badgering Rick to pull over and let him get a Big Mac. "Daddy, I don't think you're allowed to eat anything like that for a while."

"If I can't eat what I want what's the point of even living?"

Rolling her eyes she caught Rick staring at her in the rearview mirror. Sending him a small smile they continued on to the farm. "Good to see it still standing." Hershel commented.

"Rick sure does do a good job." Beth smiled.

"It was nice to have some help."

Beth noticed during the drive Hershel begin to nod off. When she heard the first snore she had to stiffen her giggles. "Did the nurses say anything about his pain meds?" Rick asked, keeping his voice quiet.

"They said he will be tired for a while. He's not allowed to strain himself."

"Then we'll be taking care of everything for a while."

"Sounds good to me."

She saw him nod. "Me too."

When they arrived at the farm Beth carried Hershel's belongings while Rick helped the man into the house. Home health hadn't arrived yet so they made him a bed on the couch. Beth brought down his favorite quilt from his bedroom to help make him more comfortable along with any reading material she thought he may want. "Daddy are you hungry? I can fix you something real quick."

"No Bethy, I just want to rest." He sighed.

"Ok, just holler for me or Rick if you need anything."

She wasn't sure he even heard her. As she pulled the blanket over him she saw his eyes close and the snoring began. Stepping outside she noticed Rick leaning against the porch rails. "He's asleep." She told him.

"He seems to be doing all right, has he noticed his liquor is missing yet?"

"No, and I wasn't going to bring it up either. I hope since he's stuck on this floor he'll won't miss it. He has bigger things to worry about right now."

"When's his next doctor's appointment?"

"Next week," Beth explained. "Until then we have to watch him like a hawk. Not only is he stubborn as a mule, he thinks he's fine and able to do whatever even though he just had major surgery."

"Well with both of us here it should be fine but I do have to warn you I am leaving Friday to go visit Carl."

"I understand, we'll be fine for a few days."

"All right well if you don't need any help I'm gonna go feed the animals. Holler if you need me."

"Ok," She smiled as he walked away. Beth couldn't help but grin as she watched him head towards the barn.

Even though Rick took care of almost every inch of the farm there was one area he had neglected, Annette's old garden. For as long as Beth remembered her mother had a garden in the front of the house, she grew the best flowers in the state of Georgia or at least that's what the Greene family thought. Not wanting to take a chance and wake Hershel inside the house with cleaning Beth decided to work on the garden. After she found some gloves and gardening tools Beth got to work and started pulling weeds. At first she worked in silence, she had left the windows in the living room open so she could hear Hershel just in case he needed anything but at the moment all she heard were his loud snores.

Once pulling weeds started to get tiresome Beth started singing softly. When she was a little girl Annette encouraged her to sing while they worked, 'It helps pass the time.' She smiled.

"Pretty," She heard from behind her. Turning around she saw Rick standing by close by. "The whole time I've worked here I've wanted to fix up the garden but Hershel wouldn't let me."

"It was my mom's garden," Beth explained. "She always prided herself in her flowers."

Without saying a word Rick crouched down and helped her pull weeds. They were making good time when they heard a car drive up the driveway. "That must be home health." Beth muttered, taking off her gloves.

Hershel's nurse turned out to be a middle aged woman named Karen, she was friendly and luckily very patient. Whenever Hershel was harsh and mouthed off Karen would bite her tongue and continue with what she was doing. Once Hershel drifted off to sleep again Beth met up with the nurse in the kitchen. "I'm sorry about him, he's not used to someone taking care of him."

"Its fine, I'm used to it. Men his age are set in their ways and no one is gonna snap him out of it." Karen smiled.

While her father napped Beth finished up the garden. She would need to go into town to get seeds and mulch but she decided she would save that for another day. By the end of the day she was dirty and sweaty and all she wanted was a hot shower. Karen left an hour before but left clear instructions for Hershel to follow, whether or not he was going to follow them was still up for conversation.

After Beth had showered and changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas she decided to fix her father a sandwich and tomato soup. As she was grabbing three bowls she saw Rick walk through the back door. "You're just in time." Beth smiled.

"Whatcha fixing?" He asked.

"Just some soup, Daddy always liked tomato soup with his sandwiches. Did you meet Karen?"

"I didn't talk to her but she waved when she was leaving. Should I ask how Hershel feels about her coming around?"

Rolling her eyes Beth answered. "He says he doesn't need any help, especially some nurse who 'just wants to make some money off of some old man's expense.'"

"Sounds like him, need any help?"

Placing a bowl of soup on a tray along with a sandwich and a glass of water she handed it to him. "Will you take this to Daddy? He may still be asleep, if so just leave it on the coffee table."

Following her instructions Rick left the room leaving Beth alone to fix their own supper. Scooping two bowls of soup she placed the bowls on the table. Walking over to the fridge she grabbed the milk just as Rick joined her. "So I was thinking tomorrow I would go into town and get you some seeds for the garden. Do you know what kind of flowers you want to plant?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, with winter coming up I don't want to plant anything just yet. I guess I wanted to just clean it up. I hate seeing Mama's garden full of weeds."

"Well come spring time we'll have us a garden. I don't have that much of a green thumb but I'll try my best."

Beth smiled at the thought but then she remembered she told Shawn she would go back to school in January. If she did she wouldn't be around to watch the flowers grow or be around Rick every day. "Bethy!" A gruff voice called from the living room. "Its time to take my medicine!"

"Like he actually wants to take it." Beth muttered grabbing the orange tube from the kitchen counter.

The rest of the week went by quickly for Beth. She dreaded Friday afternoon thinking about Rick leaving for the weekend. Of course she was happy he was going to spend time with his son but she knew she was going to miss him even if it was going to be two days.

Friday morning she didn't see or talk to him. Looking outside she noticed he was trying to hurry up and finish all of his work before he had to leave. She was so entranced by watching him she didn't even hear Karen walk up behind her. "Beth?" She asked making the younger girl jump.

"Oh my gosh," Beth gasped. "Hi Karen, do you need help? Is Daddy ok?"

"Hershel is fine," Karen chuckled. "I just thought I would get your attention before you scrubbed all the finish off that skillet."

Glancing down into the soapy water Beth dropped the dish she had been washing for Lord knows how long. "Sorry, I got...distracted."

"Yeah...I can see that." Karen smiled. "Can't say I blame you but I'm a married woman, I can't say anything."

"I won't tell." Beth giggled. "You've never mentioned your husband."

"Yeah, Tyreese, he's amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend my life with. I may have to bring him around sometime for you to meet him."

"I would like that. How did y'all meet?"

"Lets see I was a nursing student while he played football for the Atlanta Falcons." Hearing that Beth's mouth dropped open. "I know, its not really a conventional love story. I actually started working with the team for a season. After a while I noticed this big man would purposefully come to me whenever he had an 'injury.'"

"Was it love at first sight?"

"For him he said it was, it took me a little bit more time. I was so focused on my degree I didn't even notice myself falling for him. Now here we are."

"That's a nice story, Karen."

"Mhmm, don't worry you'll have a story like that some day. Who knows maybe you're already experiencing it."

Before Beth could respond Karen excused herself to go check on Hershel. It was almost four in the afternoon when Beth headed outside to go check on Rick. He wasn't in the fields or fixing the fences making her head to the barn. Peaking inside she saw him cleaning the saddles. "Need a hand?" She questioned.

"Nah, I'm about done. Sorry I haven't been inside today."

"Its ok, I understand you want to go see your son." She shrugged walking closer to him. "Not gonna lie I missed you during breakfast. Daddy has never really held the best conversations."

Seeing Rick smile sent butterflies through her. "Yeah I've figured that out myself." Even though they were talking normally Beth felt like he was trying to avoid looking her in the eye. When she moved closer to him he would step away keeping enough space between them.

"You ok?" She asked out of the blue.

"Huh? Of course, why you ask?" He didn't look at her as he answered, he just walked over to Freckles' stall.

"I don't know...just forget about it." She frowned

Sighing Rick leaned on the stall door. "Beth...I'm sorry...I guess there's another reason why I've been avoiding the house."

Her big blue eyes stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I just...I like you Beth and I shouldn't." He told her making her feel like her heart stopped beating. "I mean, you're Hershel's daughter and I feel like some dirty old man with these feelings."

"Rick I'm not underage."

"I know that, but I still don't think your father will be happy about his youngest child dating the farm hand who is old enough to be your father."

"And my father is old enough to be my grandfather so what's your point? Rick I like you too...and I want this." She whispered stepping closer to him.

When he didn't move away she crept closer until she was standing right in front of him. Her blue eyes met his, they weren't filled with lust or desire but she felt like he was staring into her soul. Shaking, she rested her hands on his chest. His arms were still hanging by his sides until Beth pressed her lips to his. Pressing firmly she tilted her head to the side molding their lips together. Feeling his arms wrap around her she smiled into the kiss. Rick led her backwards until her back met the wood of the stall. Her hands drifted from his shirt to his hair, running her fingers through the curly strands earning a soft moan from the man.

Sure, Beth wasn't the most experienced woman. She had only really kissed a handful of guys but none of them compared to Rick. There was no competition between drunk frat boys to the handsome farm hand.

Rick's hands began to wander as their kiss deepened. From running up and down her back, into her hair down to the small of her back right above her ass. It wouldn't be long before they both lost control unfortunately the universe wouldn't let them. A shrill ring from Rick's cell phone caused them to break apart. "Shit, its Lori. I gotta take this." He mumbled.

"Ok...I'm gonna go check on Daddy." She whispered running her hands through her hair, trying to catch her breath.

Leaning against the back of the house Beth tried to figure out what just happened. She could still feel his hands and his lips and all she wanted was to go back and kiss him all over again. After collecting herself she went back inside to see how Hershel was feeling. "Daddy, you need anything?" She asked sitting down next to him on the couch.

"No, Bethy, I'm fine. I'm just glad that nurse finally went home."

"She's only doing her job." Beth sighed patting her father's knee. "But don't worry, Karen says you're on the road to recovery. You just gotta take it easy for a little bit longer."

Hershel grunted and mumbled something about taking a nap letting Beth slip outside to see Rick once more before he left. With each step closer to the barn she tried to figure out what to say to him. She hadn't planned on kissing him earlier, of course she wanted to but she never thought it would actually happen. She definitely didn't plan on him kissing her back. The mere thought of him returning her feelings made her want to jump for joy.

When she reached the barn she called out to him but received no answer in return. Walking up and down the barn she searched for him but nothing. He was already gone.

Disappointment running through her Beth returned to the house. Checking on Hershel she listened to his deep snores for a few minutes before going up the stairs to her bedroom. All the joy she felt was gone, even when she tried to rationalize him leaving she couldn't understand why he would just run away like that. Now she was just beating herself up, she shouldn't have kissed him, she should have just kept her distance and just kept using her imagination when it came to a possible romance with Rick.

Saturday wasn't an exciting day. Beth moved around the house on autopilot, fixing meals, cleaning up after Hershel, and whatever other household chores she had to do. She knew he wasn't around but she found herself glancing out of the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of Rick. All she wanted to do was apologize, she had gone over what she would say to him over and over again in her mind when he came back on Sunday. To pass the time Beth would sing softly to herself, she found singing was the only thing would calm her nerves. It also kept Hershel calm. Throughout the day he would make requests to his youngest daughter and listened closely as she sang them to him. Right before bedtime he requested a lullaby Annette used to sing to the children whenever they couldn't fall asleep. Even though Beth didn't like singing the song, it always brought back sad memories, she held back her emotions and sang it to him. Before she was even finished with the song Hershel was fast asleep.

The next day Beth decided to run into town to do the weekly grocery shopping while Karen kept Hershel company. As she was scanning the soup aisle Beth heard someone say her name. To her surprise Beth saw Patricia walking towards her. "My gosh, Bethy, I haven't seen you...it feels like forever." Patricia smiled pulling Beth into a hug.

"I know, I've been meaning to come by and see you and Otis but you know with Daddy's surgery."

"Oh honey, don't worry about us. You just focus on that stubborn father of yours. How is he doing?" Even though Hershel had been so harsh with her and her husband she still cared about the man they used to call a friend.

"About as good as can be expected. He's still acting like nothing happened and that he should be up and running around like he used to."

"Well we all should have expected that. Men his age will always act like they're just fine, he could chop off his leg and act like he only needs a bandaid."

Beth stood and talked with Patricia for about fifteen minutes. It was nice to catch up and by the end she agreed to come by for dinner later on during the week. When Beth arrived back at the farm she looked all around the farm but still no sign of the farm hand. She also noticed Karen's car was already gone. Grabbing what groceries she could from the trunk Beth hurried inside to see her father standing in the kitchen going through every cabinet. "Daddy, where's Karen?" Beth asked dropping the heavy bags on the counter.

"I sent her away, I don't need her help anyway." Hershel grunted slamming the cabinet doors. "Bethy, where the hell are my bottles?"

Beth's eyes widened. "You don't need any of that." She whispered opening the fridge and putting the milk and cheese away.

"I don't care what you think I need, I want my bottles."

"Well you're not gonna find any in here." Placing her hands on her hips she stared at him, trying to keep her voice steady. "I threw all of it out."

"Now why the hell would you do that?!"

It was the first time Hershel had ever raised his voice at her. "Because I love you and I know you don't need it."

"I didn't ask for your help. Now drive me to town so I can get some more."

"No." She snapped.

"Fine, then I'll drive myself. I'm a grown man and I'm not gonna let my youngest kid tell me what I can and can't do."

Finally Beth had enough. Taking the keys out of her pocket she threw them onto the table. "You know what, fine. If you want to slowly kill yourself then do it. You know who I saw at the grocery store? Patricia, she told me how her and Otis tried to help you and you wouldn't let them. You won't let anyone help you and when we try you push us away! All we want is what's best for you."

"Well all of you just need to mind your own damn business!"

Shaking her head Beth willed herself not to cry. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what Mama would want us to do."

"Don't talk about her."

"Why? Because you know she would be ashamed at you, for not taking care of yourself. For shutting everyone out even to the point of boxing up all of our family pictures and putting them in the back of a closet?!"

Hershel fell silent. Without a word he grabbed the keys and left the house. Beth stood in the same spot and heard the car start. Only when it fell completely silent she let the tears fall. Crumbling she leaned against the counter and sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt of comfort. Wiping her eyes she headed outside towards the barn hoping some fresh air would help calm her nerves. After collecting herself she limbed a wooden ladder up into the loft of the barn, she always felt like it was her safe spot whenever things went wrong. Leaning against the barn walls she drew her legs close and hugged her knees letting herself cry some more.

She didn't know how long she sat by herself in the barn or how long she had been crying when she heard a door slam. It was probably Hershel, back from the liquor store with more bottles in hand. Closing her eyes she didn't even have the energy to go see him. Everything that needed to be said was already out there, she didn't even know how she was going to face him. "Beth?" That wasn't Hershel's voice.

As Beth picked her head up she saw Rick climb up into the loft. When he saw her tear-streaked face he was in front of her in an instant. "Beth? What's wrong?"

"Me and Daddy had a fight," She whispered. "He found out his alcohol was gone and flipped out."

"Where is he now?"

"He went into town to get more. I tried to stop him, I tried to tell him he didn't need it but he didn't listen." More tears began to fall. "I have never seen him so mad at me, he said he didn't need my help or anyone's."

"That's not true," He told her, brushing his hands over her arms. "He's just angry right now and doesn't realize you just want what's best for him."

"At this point I don't even know what to do. All I've been doing is helping him and doing what I think he needs but if he doesn't want my help then why bother?"

The vibrating in her pocket got her attention. Pulling it out Beth noticed Patricia's name on the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Beth? Oh thank God, Hershel has been in an accident in town. You need to get to the hospital right now."

Dropping the phone Beth stared at Rick. "Daddy's been in an accident, oh my God, I need to get to the hospital."

"I'll drive, come on."

In a mad dash Beth could feel herself shaking as Rick drove through the streets towards the hospital. Beth's guilt was growing with each passing mile. How could she just let him leave like that? She knew he was in no condition to drive, she knew where he was going and how much worse his condition would be if he started drinking. By the time Rick pulled into the hospital parking lot Beth was close to a full blown panic attack. She didn't even wait for Rick after he parked his truck. Taking off in a full sprint she hurried to the receptionist and asked where Hershel Greene was. "The doctor is patching him up, all we know is he crashed into a telephone pole. The doctor will be able to tell you more when he's finished."

Running her hands through her hair Beth walked back outside to see Rick walking towards her. "This is all my fault," She muttered. "I pretty much put the keys in his hand...I didn't even try to stop him."

Pulling her into his arms Rick hugged her tight. "Shh, don't talk like that. He's a grown man, he can make his own decisions."

"I told Shawn and Maggie not to worry, that I could handle this."

"Beth you're putting too much pressure on yourself," He whispered into her hair. "Calm down, just breathe."

A part of Beth wanted to yell at him. How could he be so sweet and caring when he pretty much ran for the hills after she kissed him? This man was quickly becoming the king of mixed signals. "Miss Greene?"

Quickly collecting herself Beth trudged over to the doctor. "I'm Beth Greene."

"I'm Doctor Steven Edwards, I was the one who saw your father when he came in. Luckily there were no broken bones or serious injuries. In our records we noticed he just had open heart surgery so if its ok with you we would like to keep him overnight for observation."

"Its fine with me, you're gonna have to tell him though." She sighed.

"I already did, he wasn't happy about it. I can't really repeat what he said when I told him. He should be ready to go tomorrow morning."

"Ok, I'll be here to pick him up, thank you doctor." Beth said turning around to face Rick. "Take me home? Please?" Her voice was even more quiet than it usually was. It broke his heart.

Without saying a word he guided her out of the hospital to his truck. She was eerily quiet during the whole drive, she didn't dare look at him. Inside she held everything she wanted to ask and tell him back but she didn't know how long she could do it. Now they were heading back to the barn with no one to act as a buffer. Knowing Rick he would insist on staying the night so she wouldn't be alone. How long could she keep her emotions in check?

Before she knew it he was parking the truck in front of the house. She heard him behind her as they walked inside, neither knowing what to say until finally Beth had it. "Why did you leave like that?"

Her question seemed to surprise him. "I thought it would be best if I just left."

"Why? Why did you think it was a good idea to just run away? Did me kissing you bug you that much that you had to leave without saying anything?"

"Of course not, but...I'm just so confused about all this. You're my boss' daughter and all I can think about is kissing you, hugging you...being with you."

Beth felt tears come to her eyes all over again. "Then why didn't you just say that? Do you know how bad it felt to go to the barn and just see that you were gone?"

"I know, I get it, its just a lot to take in a figure out." He muttered pulling her close. "How in the world are we gonna tell your father about this?"

Sighing she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I have no idea but at least we have a night to figure it out."

Hugging him tight she breathed. "Please don't leave me again."

Pressing his forehead against hers he whispered. "Not again, I promise." And with that he covered her mouth with his

**So maybe this will have another part. Be on the look out for the last chapter :)**


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